


Shadow Of A White Rose

by Pey119



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Abduction, Anxiety, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Complete, F/M, Inspired By Tumblr, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Character Death, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Fluff, Protective Nico, Shapeshifting, Winter, dark demigods, powers backfire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 14:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19427950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pey119/pseuds/Pey119
Summary: It started when two demigods disappeared, demigods who seemed to have lost their powers. It continued when two more demigods disappeared, two demigods on the brink of death.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some content is taken from dark!demigods posts

The full moon pierced the clouds that night, sending rays of light into cracks and sections of the camp. A full moon, a cold day in December. Nobody expected the scream that night.

Most of the senior campers were home, or the ones that had homes. Nico di Angelo lay in his cabin still awake when he heard the scream, when his heart sunk from the pain buried deep within it. He knew that pain, he had felt it before. The pain of fear, the pain of terror.

"Will, wake up." Nico shook his boyfriend awake as he reached for his sword in the dim light. "Something's wrong."

"Nico, the sun's gonna be up in...in four hours..." Will buried his head in his pillow. "Let me sleep for four hours."

"Will! Something's wrong with a camper and they might need you! Are you going to go heal them or not?" Nico threw his jacket on before getting Will in his coat. "Let's go, you sack of potatoes!"

Will stumbled to his feet with his coat hanging off of him. "Lead me."

Nico grabbed Will's hand and ran from the cabin, keeping his sword out and at the ready. He looked around, tried to find anything abnormal. Everyone seemed to be asleep and all the lights were off, except for the blazing lights of the infirmary.

"There." Nico's breath escaped his mouth in a wisp of smoke in the winter night. "Come on, Will." They ran for the infirmary, pushed open those doors to find a scene that neither were expecting.

Two children of Apollo, one child of Hecate. Will's younger brother was on his knees, his hands in his hair and his head to the floor. He was sobbing, taking breaths as if each one was his last. The other child of Apollo was kneeling beside him, trying to calm him down but to no avail. The daughter of Hecate was on the bed, barely breathing.

"What's going on?" Will was suddenly awake as he shot into the room. "What happened? Who's the patient?"

"Will, thank the gods." the more stable Apollo kid looked to meet her brother. "Jesse...he...he couldn't heal her. He couldn't help."

Will moved towards the daughter of Hecate. "What happened to her, Lethia?"

Lethia kept her hand on her brother's shoulder to help comfort him. "H13MB."

The color drained from Will's face. "Again?"

Lethia nodded. "Jesse was going to help try and slow it down but...something happened."

"Hold up." Nico held his hands up in surrender, having put his sword away. "I'm barely following this. What's H13MB?"

Will moved his hand to the daughter of Hecate's head, feeling the soul within her. "Something demigods have seen out of about five Hecate children in written records. This will be the second in the past ten years. H13MB is...is Hecate kids unintentionally mutating their bodies with each spell until almost all of their cells are cancerous. We try to warn them but they never take it seriously."

Nico closed the Infirmary's door before kneeling in front of Jesse. "Hey, calm down. Just because you couldn't heal one person doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

Jesse looked up at Nico, tears pouring from his eyes. They weren't sky blue as they had been the last time Nico saw him, but such a dark blue they were bordering on black. "I couldn't heal anyone today...something isn't right..."

"Will will help you," Nico promised. "Just let him help the Hecate girl and he'll be right over."

Nico moved his hand to Jesse's shoulder when Lethia went to help Will, frowning at the darkness he felt within him. "Jesse...has something changed lately? Did you get on someone's bad side?"

Jesse shook his head just as a terrified shout escaped Lethia. She looked down at her hands, tears welling in her own eyes. "Why didn't it work?!"

Will turned to look at her, his eyes narrowed. "You can't heal either?"

Lethia shook her head. "I was going to help you...all I did was try to help you..."

"She touched Jesse." Nico quickly cut in. "Maybe it's something that spreads. I have no possible idea why or how, but just incase, Lethia or Jesse don't touch anyone. Just for now."  
"Where do you get off telling me what to do?" Lethia argued. "You're a son of-"

"Okay, that's enough!" Will's voice pierced the air louder than he had intended. "Lethia, did any of this happen before you touched Jesse?" She shook her head. "Jesse, when did this start for you?"

Jesse looked up from his crying mess of a condition, his eyes taking Will aback. "I just noticed the healing thing tonight. But I've felt different since...since yesterday, I think. After I took a walk in the woods. There was a deer hurt and I tried to help it."

Will and Nico exchanged a glance before Will moved to a stack of medical supplies. He threw gloves at each of the Apollo kids before also giving them a medical mask, his face serious. "We can't let this spread. We have to take precautions and talk to Chiron in the morning. About three and a half hours until the sun rises. Do you two think you'll be good until then?"

Lethia nodded, a small movement, while Jesse went back to crying. Will moved to Nico and whispered in his ear, whispered low enough to not be overheard. "I've got to go fill my cabin in. Go talk to Chiron?"

Nico looked to Will, not moving near his ear but keeping his voice low. "You think they'll be fine by themselves?"

Will shrugged before leaving the Infirmary. Nico was more hesitant but did as he was told, shadow traveling to the Big House's front porch. Chiron could solve this, Chiron could do it.

He knocked, a sound that rattled over the haunted night.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun came up right when Will had predicted. Moving over the horizon like a ball of fire, lighting up the camp. Outside the boundaries snow fell, covering the frozen ground. Inside the camp, Will moved from the Apollo cabin to check on his two siblings that were where he left them.

When he walked into the infirmary, however, it was empty. No Hecate girl, no Apollo kids. Nothing, nobody, emptiness.

"Jesse?!" Will searched the entire building. "Lethia?!"

Nobody answered, nothing stirred. Around him, the infirmary was silent.

"JESSE! LETHIA!" Will screamed. "Come out!"

"William!" Nico opened the door, his hands over his ears. "Shut up!"

"Nico..." Will ran to meet him. "They're gone. They're gone, Nico. I can't find them anywhere."

"Don't yell." Nico uncovered his ears to show that one of them had started to bleed. "Remember who you are, Will. You're a son of Apollo. My ears are ringing."

"Oh gods, Nico. I'm sorry." Will's voice fell to a whisper. "I...I didn't even realize I could do that..."

"It's okay." Nico wiped the blood away. "Chiron's getting all the head counselors here. Now, you said they're gone?"

Will nodded.

"Where'd they go?" Nico asked. "Are they in your cabin?"

Will shook his head, opening his mouth before closing it again.

"You can talk, Will." Nico kissed his forehead. "Why are you so...anxious?"

"I don't like hurting people. I'm a healer, Nico. But I'm capable of hurting." Will ran a hand through his hair. "We can talk about that later. We need to find them before they infect everyone else. Can't you try and feel their souls?"

Nico closed his eyes to concentrate, trying to pinpoint the two missing demigods. After thirty minutes Nico opened his eyes again, jumping slightly when he saw the Chiron was in there as well.

"Could you feel them anywhere?" Will questioned.

Nico shook his head. "They're not at camp but they're not dead. I don't know where they are."

"Boys, please get to the Big House for a meeting. As soon as everyone is here we will start it." Chiron ordered. "Will, before you do, can you please fill your cabin in on this...development."

"Yeah, course." Will grabbed Nico's hand. "Come on. I don't need anyone else losing their healing abilities. And I definitely don't need anyone else disappearing." His hand shook in Nico's grip as they walked out, the only thing showing that he was nervous.

"It's going to be okay," Nico promised. "We'll find them."

"What if we don't?" Will questioned. "They're my siblings, Nico."

"And we'll find them. Don't worry." they stopped outside of the Apollo cabin. "Do you've got this or do you want me to go in with you?"

"I'll do it..." Will looked down at his feet. "Wish me luck."

Nico kissed his cheek. "There. Luck is with you."

Will gave him a smile before disappearing into the cabin, leaving Nico to stare at his bare feet. He was still in his pajamas, his sword the only weapon he had on him. He never expected the day to go like this, but some things just happened. The Fates, destiny, whatever you wanted to call it.

* * *

Percy and Annabeth walked into camp hand in hand, having had Mrs. O'Leary shadow travel them as soon as they got the IM. Something was wrong and Chiron seemed worried, but he wouldn't say what. He never did until the meeting.

As they walked, they could tell things were different. Most demigods acted like everything was fine but any of the Apollo kids in sight looked like the world had just ended. None played basketball, none were practicing archery. They sat in front of their cabin, talking in hushed whispers. Some were even crying.

"Guys...what's wrong?" Percy walked up to the group, his hand on Riptide's pen form that was buried deep in his pocket. "What happened?"

Annabeth jogged to meet him. "They've probably been told not to say anything, Percy."

"It's okay, Annabeth." Will got up from the steps and moved over to greet them. "You two are here for the meeting?"

Annabeth nodded. "Do you know what it's about?"

Will glanced down at his shoes. "It's...important. We should head there now. Everyone will be here soon. Nico's been talking to Chiron, trying to find them with soul searching."

"Find them?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "Who's missing, Will?"

Will covered his mouth with his hand, shaking his head.

"Just tell us." Percy looked around as if he were counting the campers he saw. "Who's missing?"

"I can't say." Will argued. "Just come on to the Big House already."

Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm. "Let's go. He's not going to spill. Nico's there, he'll tell us."

"He better not!" Will marched to the Big House. "That reminds me, I haven't checked in with him in awhile. He's probably halfway to China or something by now."

"He still ends up in China?" Percy asked, him and Annabeth following closely.

"He runs away to China." Will corrected. "Tries to get out of teaching the younger ones."

"Sounds like Nico." Percy sighed. "All I wanted was a Christmas break. That's it."


	3. Chapter 3

Nico opened his dark eyes when most of his energy had abandoned him. In a room where he had been previously alone, he found that the other cabin leaders were all there. Most talked while some stared at him, including a certain son of Poseidon who looked as worried as ever.

"Chiron, I can't feel them anywhere," Nico spoke up, cursing himself for still being in pajamas. "Not anywhere around here. They're definitely not in New York anymore, or any surrounding states."

Silence filled the room before Clarisse spoke up. "Who were you looking for? Why haven't we been told someone's missing?"

"This has been a situation that started last night and continued through this morning," Chiron explained. "Will, would you like to explain what happened? As the speaker for the Apollo cabin it is only fitting that you explain the last time you saw your siblings."

"So it is the Apollo cabin." Annabeth looked to Will. "More than one person?"

Will nodded, not even the sunny day able to boost his spirits. "Last night we heard a scream from the infirmary so me and Nico ran there-"

"You and Nico were together?" Percy broke in.

Will blushed but continued as if nobody had said anything. "We found Jesse and Lethia, and a daughter of Hecate. Amy, I think? Yeah, Amy. Jesse was sobbing and Lethia was trying to comfort him."

"Amy was there as a patient," Nico explained. "She was one on the beds. The other two were supposed to be there as doctors."

"What was wrong with her?" Lou Ellen popped in. "Is she still there? Is she okay?"

"Because of the seriousness of the situation, I'll refrain from the 'I told you so'." Will looked to her. "But it was H13MB, as I said I was worried about."

"You're serious?" Annabeth cut in, the only other one at the table to have heard of it except for Nico, Will, and Lou Ellen herself. "Could you do anything to help?"

"That's where this meeting comes in." Nico took his skull ring off and began to spin it on the table. "Jesse screamed because he got scared. He couldn't heal her. His powers over healing were just...gone."

Silence met his announcement before Will found it ready to continue. "I went to heal Amy first before dealing with it. Lethia, who had touched Jesse, came to help me. We found that she couldn't heal, either. Nothing."

"That's impossible." Annabeth finally spoke up. "You can't take away a demigod's abilities. Wait...did you say they're missing? It could be contagious, according to your story."

"Exactly." Chiron cut in. "Will left them there to inform his cabin of the danger. Nico came to inform me. This morning, Will went to check on them. All three demigods were gone."

"I've tried to feel their souls but they're nowhere near here." Nico summed up. "Tomorrow I can start shadow traveling around, peek around and talk to some ghosts."

"Mr. D is talking to the other gods as we speak." Chiron continued. "Apollo is...rather upset, as you could say. Even his powers are not able to find them."

"So...what do we do?" Lou Ellen spoke up. "We need to find Amy if Will didn't heal her all the way."

"And Jesse's always been...unstable." Will broke in. "We need to find him as soon as possible."

"Whoever took them was probably the one to change their powers." Annabeth looked to Chiron. "I'll need time to research."

Chiron nodded. "Camp Jupiter has been notified and has offered to help when needed. Search teams will begin to be sent to any suspicious areas."

Will wiped away a tear that had threatened to spill from his eyes. He felt so useless, so powerless. He could do nothing but watch as those he knew slipped away.

* * *

Will walked out of the containment room in the infirmary and took his gloves off, throwing them into the waste bin. Chiron himself was waiting for him, his arms crossed and his eyes unreadable. "Is she alive?"

"For now." Will eyes weren't as bright as usual.

"You know, son of Apollo, I know that look by now." Chiron looked towards the containment room sadly. "She isn't going to make it. You have the look of any other medic who can do nothing more but watch."

"This is the second time in a week that someone is getting deathly ill because of their powers." Will glanced around the empty infirmary. "Amy, and now Miranda..."

"What would you say the cause is for Miranda?" Chiron asked. "So I know what to tell the Demeter cabin."

"She channeled all of her energy into growing plants quickly and ending up killing all of her antibodies. Even just a cold will kill her in the state she's in." Will rubbed his eyes. "I hate not being able to save them."

"You can't hold off death forever." Chiron put his hand on Will's shoulder. "Don't feel too bad, son of Apollo. Even the touch of your father can't save a mortal when it is their time to die. Thanatos doesn't look the other way."

"Thanatos needs to learn some common mercy." Will shot back. "She's young. She's too young. She survived two wars to die from a cold? It's horrible, Chiron. I'm not going to let it happen."

"But what, son of Apollo, can you do?" Chiron gestured to the room Miranda was now quarantined in. "A life away from others isn't a life to live."

"I'll find a cure," Will promised. "I can find a cure."

"A cure, or an excuse to cheat death?" Chiron watched Will before walking out, leaving him alone in the infirmary. Mostly quite after the war, it only held a couple patients at most at a time. Some days, like after Capture the Flag, they would hold more. But it hadn't been since the war that Will felt so powerless over a patient.

"Will?" Nico stepped into the building, his black boots leaving dirt in his steps. "Come on, you need to eat. Chiron said you haven't yet today."

Will scowled. "He's a rat."

"Come on. I shouldn't be playing the doctor here." Nico grabbed his hand and began to drag him out. "And I can tell you how things went today during the search."

"Fine. Just let me lock up." Will pulled away from him once they were outside and used the key that hung around his neck to lock the infirmary. "I don't need anyone else wandering off."

Nico kept his hands in his pockets, still smelling like McDonald's. "How bad is she?"

"Bad." Will took Nico's hand and started for the Dining Pavilion, his skin pale for the first time in his life. "Really bad, Nico."

Nico looked up at the winter sky. "I know. I could feel her soul fading as soon as I stepped foot in camp."

"I'm going to heal her," Will promised. They sat at the Hades table, the old wood dark and finally worn. "I've got to."

"Will..." Nico sighed. "Okay, I communed with the dead today. Dead demigods, mostly. None have heard of this happening before except one. She died of that...that..." Nico waved his hand. "H something."

"H13MB?" Will perked his head up. "So you communed with a dead Hecate kid?"

"Say more, di Angelo." Lou Ellen was suddenly sitting by Will, and then soon enough Percy and Annabeth were at the table. "What'd she say?"

Nico sighed. "Were you all eavesdropping?"

"I had people waiting for you to come back." Annabeth picked at her nails. "I knew you'd have some information. You would have to by this point."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Okay. So she had that thing H13 or whatever."

"H13MB." Will corrected.

"Yeah, sure." Nico continued. "She said that everything was going fine until she was doing a thing of magic to help this dying woodland creature. She got back to camp feeling drained and then, well...you can guess the rest."

Will paled even more. Dark circles under his eyes, a sick look to that once happy face. "Oh, gods..."

"What?" Annabeth looked to him quickly. "What do you know?"

"It's the same story Jesse told us," Nico admitted. "He was healing a deer, came back to camp, couldn't heal Amy."

Silence met his announcement, a stunned silence that was only broken when the son of Hades jumped to his feet with a crazed look in those dark eyes.

"What?" Annabeth looked up at him. "What is it, Nico?"

"Miranda..." Nico's face filled with anger. "Damn it!"

"She died?" Percy asked.

Nico shook his head, his hair falling into his face. "Her soul's not here anymore. She's not dead, but her soul isn't in camp anymore. Damn it!"


	4. Chapter 4

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all!" Will tore the room apart, looked for anything that could leave to his patient being gone. "Miranda! Miranda!"

"Will, she's gone." Nico stood in the doorway, shadows engulfing his slim figure. His eyes, as dark as his soul, seemed to be bottomless pits. He spoke as calmly as he would at a funeral. "She's gone, Will. There's no way she's still alive."

"I'm finding her." Will snapped. "I'm finding her, Nico, no matter what."

The shadows swarmed around Nico's feet. "The dark side of a medic, huh? Never believed it before now."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Will searched the windows, searched the corner, searched for any clues. "Just come help me."

"Help you with what?" Nico looked around them. "I think we would have found something already."

Will didn't answer, having gone silent.

"Will?" Nico stepped further into the room, turning the lights on as he went. "What are you looking at?"

"All the apples are gone..." Will looked like he was going to throw up. "All my apples are gone!"

Nico scowled. "So? You can get more."

"No, no, you don't understand. That's what deer are most attracted to." Will knelt next to the table, smiled with an emotion Nico had never seen on his boyfriend's face before. "Look at this, Nico."

Nico kneeled beside Will. "This better be good." He looked under the table, his heart stopping when he saw what Will had seen. Hoofprints were in what looked like a pool of blood, but halfway through they changed into a human's footprints. "Damn..."

"Damn." Will agreed.

* * *

"Will, I doubt Annabeth is going to be in her cabin when she knew Miranda was missing." Nico kept close to Will as they searched the camp for the daughter of Athena. "Maybe try the Big House?"

"I already did." Will grumbled. "She wasn't there. I can't find Chiron either. We need to tell someone before it's too late."

"Before it's too late?" Nico snorted. "What do you think is going to happen? I'm not going to let anyone capture me if that's what you're thinking."

"We never know." Will pounded on the Athena cabin's door. "Annabeth?! You in there?"

"I could just shadow travel away." Nico frowned. "Right? Why are you questioning it?"

"Because I don't want to lose you." Will turned to face him. "When you see people losing the people that they love, it makes you think about the person you love. And I'm not losing you."

Nico felt his face darken. "William Solace, did you just say that you lov-"

"What?" Annabeth threw the door open before Nico could finish his sentence. "I found a book that might be helpful so if you two don't mind..."

"Annabeth, come here." Will grabbed her hand and ran for the infirmary, leaving her with no choice but to follow. They got some snickers from the other campers, but most knew of the situation and what the two demigods would be doing. If Will was that intent on showing Annabeth something, it had to be a clue.

But a clue wasn't going to save their friends. They needed a savior, a hero. They needed a miracle.

* * *

"A shapeshifter?" Percy asked. "What shapeshifter do we know besides Frank?"

"Exactly why we're at a dead end." Annabeth drummed her fingers against the table. "I can't find any other shapeshifter in mythology that'd be doing this, or that'd have the power to do this."

"Annabeth won't admit it, but we're stuck." Nico spread his hands. "Damn stuck."

The meeting held nothing further to answers as the last. Most of the time, they sat in silence or bounced off useless ideas off each other. By the end of the day, they could only come up with the idea that two people be on alert at all times. Guards to the camp, you could say. Nothing that'd do much.

They were, in Nico's words, damn stuck. Until the shapeshifter decided to mess with the son of Hades himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Thump, blurred vision, another thump. Nico was aware of the dull lights of the corridor above him, could smell dust and decay. Another thump, his vision blacked out. He could smell the blood that dripped from his head, the blood that smeared onto the floor with every thump of his head. The constant tugging of his foot, his ankle being pulled out of place as this man dragged him passed cell after cell.

It was dark enough to shadow travel, dark enough to send comfort through his bones. He'd stay, he decided, stay long enough to figure out what was going on. If it got too dangerous he could shadow travel out, a task that would be his escape.

But he never counted on being thrown into that room, being stripped so that not even his clothes could be used to make a shadow. Bright light, every which way. No shadows, no shadows anywhere. No possible shadows to be made.

"Damn it!" Nico moved a hand to the back of his head, brought his hand back to see the blood on his fingertips. Nobody else was in the room, but he could hear screaming from not far away. Screaming that sounded a little too much like Jesse.

"What are you bastards doing?" Nico crawled to the door and started to pound on it, his fists quickly starting to bleed. "What are you doing?! Jesse, Jesse! It's me, Nico! I'm going to get you out of here!"

"Nico!" Jesse's cry of pain sounded out, almost too far away to be heard. "Nico?! Di Angelo?!"

"Yep, that's right!" Nico called back. "It's going to be okay! Just hang in there! Do you know where the others are?!"

"I'm here! I'm Lethia! I'm here!" the daughter of Apollo sounded as if she were closer to Nico's room. "I'm here! Can you get us out?!"

"I'm trying, don't worry!" Nico held onto his throat in pain as his vision got worse. "Just stay calm! What about Miranda?! Or Amy?!"

"They're down another hall!" Lethia answered. "This one is usually locked up! The guard is on the other side of that big metal door, so he can't hear us!"

Nico frowned. "You two can see in the hallway?!"

"Like any other prison!" the sound of chains rattling, the shaking of iron bars. "They have you in a different room, I'm sorry! But we can hear each other! That's good, right?!"

"Right!" Nico swallowed thickly, finding himself praying for some water. "Just stick together! You know how to act to keep yourselves alive! Just keep breathing!"

"Will do!" Lethia promised. "You've got a plan, right?!"

"Right!" Nico lied. "Just hang in there!" He slid down until he was laying on the ground, blood pooling around him from the back of his head. "Great...what do I do now?"

* * *

For the first time in all his years, Chiron watched as a son of Apollo shriveled up into a mere husk of who he used to be. After Nico di Angelo was reported missing, Will Solace did nothing but stare from his bed in the infirmary. He didn't eat, didn't sleep, didn't move a muscle. All he could do was pray in hushed whispers and shaky voices. A voice of a son of Apollo, the voice of many. Sometimes deep, sometimes high. Sometimes too quiet to hear, sometimes too loud for anyone near him.

For the first time, Chiron was scared of a child of Apollo.

"Will, you need to eat." Chiron watched as the daughter of Athena tried to coax Will into accepting a bowl of soup. "Please, Will. You need your strength up."

"My father, my father, Apollo, lord, please hear me..." Will's shaking hands were clasped together, his legs bent beneath him and his head bowed. "Please hear my prayer..."

"Will..." the girl looked hopeless. "You're a doctor, you know how much you need to eat, or you'll-"

"Oh, give me the bowl." Percy Jackson stomped into the room. He took the bowl of soup, shoved it into Will's hands. "You eat, for Nico. You eat or I'll drag you down to Hades. He'll make you. He'll make you stay strong to save Nico."

Will's eyes moved to Percy's, those blue eyes now holding more darkness than Nico's. "Why stay strong? It's not like we'll find him."

"We will," Percy promised. "But we need your help so you need to eat, get up, and start working again. Got it? Because I'm not taking no for an answer."

Will took the bowl of soup, looked into its murky contents. "Why hasn't he shadow traveled back, Percy? Do you think he's...think he's..."

"He's not dead." Percy's eyes were dark with determination. "We aren't letting him get away that easily. Now eat your soup and come help us work on a plan."

Will took a bite, ate as slow as he could. "You have a plan?"

"Annabeth does." Percy crossed his arms. "So you better shape up. Because we're getting them back, Will. We're getting them back."

"Annabeth has a plan..." Will swallowed thickly. "She has a plan, she has a plan."

Chiron stalked away from the infirmary, moving towards the Big House where Annabeth currently was. The daughter of Athena had a plan alright, but it involved more waiting than they could afford. But what else could they do at this point?


	6. Chapter 6

Nico woke up to the same blinding light, the light that seemed to be burning his eyeballs out. He sat up and surveyed around him, scowling when he realized that his bleeding had been stopped. On his arm, a needle mark throbbed an angry red. A nasty try at a puncture, a nasty screw up. But that meant someone had been in there and Nico had slept right through it.

"Damn it!" Nico put a finger against the needle mark. "What the hell was that even for?" He flicked the area, winced from the pain. "What the Hades did they do to me?"

He found he could actually stand up, now, not dizzy from blood loss or dehydration. With two hands on the door, he felt around for any way to open it. Of course, there wasn't any. "Lethia?! You there?!"

"Yeah, I'm here!" Lethia seemed more upbeat. "Glad you're awake!"

"Did they stick something in you?!" Nico questioned. He put his ear to the door, tried to map out the area with the echoes of his voice and Lethia's. "Like a needle?!"

"Definitely a needle!" Lethia called back. "It was for food and water! They did the same to us!"

Nico sighed in relief when he realized he hadn't been drugged. "How are you two feeling?! Any news on the others?!"

Jesse's broken sob came out before Lethia could answer. "We couldn't save Miranda!"

Nico felt his heart drop. Immediately, he could feel that her soul was no longer in the land of the living. He sat in silence for awhile, sat and stared at his hands. He had failed Will. He had told him that they'd save her, that she'd be okay. Now, she was on her way to Elysium.

"Nico, you there?!" Lethia finally called out. "There's more news!"

Nico felt his heart harden more than it had, felt it harden until no love was left except for the love he had for Will Solace. "What is it?!"

"We've been missing for a full week!" Lethia declared. "At least, Jesse and I have! That means camp has to have a plan by now, right?!"

Nico closed his eyes. "Yeah!" Why did he suddenly feel so hopeless?

He could hear their voices, hear Lethia trying to calm Jesse. As Will said, that boy had never been fully stable. A hard life before camp, a hard time during the wars. Just as Will did, he had lost too many patients. Too many to look in the mirror ever again.

"We're going to get out of here..." Nico whispered to himself. "We're going to get out of here..."

* * *

Annabeth finished handing the devices out, all the campers at the amphitheater for a meeting. Once she showed them all how to put the small microbot in their ears, she grinned as she felt her plan sliding into action.

"Okay, this is what they're for," she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear her. "You know the events that are happening, as each of your leaders should have told you. If you happen to get captured, these bots are too small for anyone to notice. They won't take them away from you. Once you're alone, all you have to do is talk. The sensor we have in the Big House will pick up on your voice as soon as you leave camp borders."

"Have you even tested these things out?" Clarisse asked. "It sounds like a load of-"

"It sounds like it'll malfunction." Chiron cut in, the only one insane enough to cut off the daughter of Ares. "Have you tested this, Annabeth?"

Annabeth nodded. "Leo helped me make them. We tested all of them before handing them out. They seem to work perfectly."

Chiron nodded before turning to face all of the campers. "You heard her. Now, I would ask you all to keep these in at all times, even when you sleep. This way if you are captured, you can tell us where you're being held and the condition of the others."

"If you're a child of Apollo and you're being held, I must urge you not to touch your fellow siblings if they are there." Chiron continued. "If whoever this shapeshifter is doesn't already give it to you, they may spread whatever is taking their healing away. If you are captured and still have your powers, I urge you to try and help those that are hurt and taken. That would include Miranda and Amy at the moment."

"If they aren't already dead." someone muttered.

Annabeth pursed her lips. "Keep your hopes up. This will work, I'm sure of it. Athena always has a plan."

Chiron cleared his throat. "Campers, you're dismissed. If we find out that you're taken your device out, you'll be punished stable duty for a week."

The campers groaned but left to go back to their activities, leaving Percy, Annabeth, Will, and Chiron alone.

"Annabeth?" Will sounded more broken than usual. "Why do you think he hasn't shadow traveled back? Why can't he?"

"I don't know." Annabeth admitted. "But he's not dead. If he was, Hades would...he would make it known, trust me. Just stay positive."

Will stared at his hands, stared at the hands that held the blood of so many. He could see it stained there, smell it every time his hands moved close to his face. So much blood..."I've killed so many people. I didn't save them quick enough. I've killed so many people."

He was alone by then, only a soft breeze answering his statement. Nobody came to prove him wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

Percy was sleeping when he heard the shouts, when he smelled the fire in the distance. Riptide was out before he even got up, the bronze sword gleaming in the moonlight. Two steps, a door open, he was out of his cabin and in the night air.

"Percy!" Annabeth was halfway to him. "Come put the fire out!"

Percy stuffed Riptide into his pocket and followed Annabeth. "What happened?"

"Hephaestus kid in the forges. Must have set the whole place on fire." they stopped outside the forges, stopped outside the burning building. The night air was thick with smoke, the moon was hidden behind the clouds. Smelling like the Fourth of July, Percy looked up at the building in numb shock.

"Did you get him out?" Percy finally asked. He closed his eyes, felt the nearby water supplies.

"Yeah, Will's got him at the infirmary." Annabeth watched him. "This is why we built the new infirmary instead of having it in the Big House. Will needed room for all different kinds of wounds, wounds like these. The ones you never expect."

Percy felt the pressure in his ears pop, felt gallons of water moving at his will. He doused them over the building, getting rid of the fire but revealing a horrid reminder of what happened. Standing in the ruins was a black husk of what used to be treasured by the Hephaestus cabin. A husk of what had been a part of camp for forever.

"Damn..." Percy looked to Annabeth. "Could you design another one?"

"Yeah," Annabeth glanced towards the cabins. "People are going to be coming out soon, wondering what's up."

"I can go check on Will and the kid if you want to talk to them." Percy offered. "You'll probably make it go a lot smoother than if I were to do it."

Annabeth punched his shoulder. "That's right. Get going. Come update me when you're done."

Percy gave her a small wave before jogging over to the infirmary, the smoke having made his eyes water and his throat dry. The smell, a smell that used to be full of fun nights and fireworks, was now the smell of a nightmare. The smell of life changing for the worst.

He walked into the infirmary to find Will sitting on one of the beds, writing in a binder. His bloodshot eyes stood out in the bright light, his hands shook as if he had inhaled a ton of caffeine. His handwriting, clearly the work of a doctor, was sloppy and rushed.

"How's he doing?" Percy asked, standing next to Will. "Is he okay?"

"He's sleeping." Will didn't look up from the paper. "Really bad burns. I didn't get a story out of him but he should be awake in the morning."

Percy nodded. "Annabeth is talking to the others. But the forge...it's ruined."

"I would think so, after seeing that bad of burns." Will rubbed at his raw fingers. "Spent hours picking the dead skin off."

"Did his ear thing survive?" Percy asked. "The thing Annabeth designed?"

Will nodded. "Leo Valdez did a good job on it."

Percy looked around the infirmary. "Will he live?"

Will nodded. "Course. I'm not losing anyone else." His tone was hard, his eyes glazed over. Hands shaking, ink spreading over the paper. "I'm not losing anyone else...no one else..."  
The pen exploded, sending ink over the paper and the blue jeans Will wore. "Damn it...damn it..."

"Hey...are you okay?" Percy watched him in worry. "Have you slept lately?"

"I'm fine." Will threw the ruined pen into the garbage. "I'm fine, Percy. I'm the son of Apollo, remember? I know how to take care of myself."

Percy took a step back. He knew Nico, knew him well, but he had never gotten close to the son of Hades' boyfriend. Will spent his time with Nico or in the infirmary, with very little trips anywhere else. Maybe he was different than he always let on.

"I'll be going, then," Percy mumbled. "It's like midnight. I can tell Chiron how he's doing, if you want."

"Yeah, sure." Will closed the binder. "It was that fourteen year old. I don't know his name."

"I'll ask Annabeth." Percy looked Will over once more before moving to leave. "Take care of yourself. Take care of yourself for Nico, Will."

* * *

Nico couldn't tell how many days passed, couldn't tell if it had been weeks or simply hours. He stared at nothing, closed his eyes, paced around. It wasn't long before he started to see spots, dancing around his vision. From overexposure to such a large light source, he wasn't surprised that it had happened. He just hoped Will found him before things got too bad.

"Nico!" Lethia's voice had started to become strained and uneven. "Nico, I think someone new is here!"

Nico quickly went to his door, pressing his ear against it. "Who is it?! Do you know?!"

"I heard the guards talking!" Lethia explained. "They said they were getting a new cell ready! They just left but I think the cell will be in here with us!"

"That's good!" Nico smiled. "Hopefully this is purposeful and this camper knows how to get out!"

"Hopefully!" Lethia agreed. It had been awhile since Jesse had spoken, but Nico wasn't worried. He could feel the boy's life force. The two children of Apollo had strong souls, souls that felt like the sun. There was no mistaking them.

Nico closed his eyes against the violent light, found himself praying to his father. The light, not the darkness, was eating him alive. The light that so many people found comfort in.

The light that would be the end of him.


	8. Chapter 8

Will opened his blue eyes to the panicked voices, felt the familiar chill that he got when he realized something was wrong.

He closed his eyes, went back to sleep. He didn't want to know, didn't want to face reality. He didn't want to see that the Hephaestus kid was now gone.

He didn't want to admit that he lost another patient. Literally lost, not just let die. All of his patients were disappearing, dropping like flies.

He couldn't deal with it anymore, so he closed his eyes. He went back to sleep.

* * *

Lethia sat with her back to the iron bars, her legs spread out in front of her as she tried to listen to the guards. They stood in that little hallway, talking in whispers. She could see their eyes behind their helmets, see the way their hands gripped onto their guns. They weren't afraid to shoot them.

The dim prison had little to no light. What could be called cages sat across from each other, letting the prisoners see each other and talk. There were two doors, one on the left of the hallway and one on the right. One went to Nico's room, the other opened up to something Lethia hadn't seen before, but the guards always came from there.

Jesse was curled up in his own cage, his blond hair now dark with blood and dirt. He cried into his knees, shook with anxiety and fear. She had given up on calming him a long time before.

The guard got his phone out when it rang, answered it in the silence. "Right, yes. It's ready." He hung up, not having stopped to listen to the person on the other end. In seconds, the right door opened up to reveal a guard dragging in a teenage boy by his legs.

"Let me go!" the boy tried to get away, gasps of pain escaping his mouth. As soon as Lethia looked him over, she saw why. Covered in burns, burns so bad she couldn't see how he was still alive. A soft glow surrounded his skin, the soft glow Apollo campers had learned to pick up. Will had been healing him, alright, for his essence was all over him.

"What's his name..." Lethia muttered to herself. "Jake, Jesse, no... Justin? No..."

They shoved him into the cage on the left of Lethia before walking out, closing the door behind them. They were plunged into darkness except for the two children of Apollo, whose hair seemed to glow a little.

"Starts with a C..." she closed her eyes to concentrate. "C...Chris! Christopher, right?" She turned to meet him. "You're Christopher, right?"

The groaning mess of a boy looked up at her, his face smudged with soot. "I should have sensed the fault in the machine...I should have sensed it...something's wrong..."

"Chris, it's going to be okay." she cleared her throat before turning to Nico's door. "Nico! It's Christopher, son of Hephaestus!"

Nico's voice came soon but she could hear the pain in it. "Is he okay?!"

Chris looked up in confusion. "Who's that?"

"Nico di Angelo," Lethia replied. "Son of Hades, you know?"

"Chris!" Nico sounded as if he was pressed against his door. "Do you know what camp's planning?!"

"Planning?" Chris seemed to have trouble thinking through the pain. "Planning...oh, yeah!" He moved a hand to his ear, felt the small metal piece that rested deep in it. "I can contact them!"

"Do it." Lethia reached her hand through the bars to grab his hand. "It's going to be okay. Contact them."

"Right, right, I'm doing it." Christopher took the piece from his ear, turned it on, and put it back in his ear. "Okay, they said all I have to do is talk..."

* * *

Annabeth sat by the device, her head in her hands. It had been hours since they had taken the poor kid. Why wasn't he talking to them? What had they done to him? She was just about to give up when she heard the boy's voice spit out of the device.

"Hello? Anyone? Is this working?"

Annabeth snapped her head up, stared at the device for a moment too long before talking. "Christopher? Is that you?"

"Annabeth!" he couldn't have sounded happier. "Oh gods, it worked. It really worked. Lethia, it worked."

"Lethia is there with you?" Annabeth took a notebook out and started to write on it. "Is she okay? Does she know where the others are?"

"She's okay." Christopher took a second more before continuing. "Jesse's alive. He isn't mentally...you know. He's been crying since I got here."

Annabeth closed her eyes, felt her heart racing. "Can I talk to Lethia?" Chris had started to sound in pain, sounded like he couldn't hold himself up.

"Yeah..." some movement, a new voice. "Annabeth!"

"Lethia, thank the gods." Annabeth let herself smile. "Give me the rundown on everything."

"As far as we know, Amy is still alive." Lethia started. "Miranda...didn't make it. I'm sorry."

Annabeth felt her face fell. "Okay...what about the others?"

"Jesse and I are fine. Just picture this place like a prison thing. My stupid cage is across from Jesse's. Christopher is on my left. As far as I can tell, he'll be okay. But I can't heal him." Lethia explained. "Jesse's physically okay, I'm physically okay. They give us IV's for nutrients and water and stuff."

"That's good..." Annabeth began to draw what she thought the room to look like, based on Lethia's comments and the sounds of her voice echoing."What about Nico di Angelo?"

"He's in a special room," Lethia admitted. "I can't see him. We can hear each other if we scream, though. He's alive."

"Is he hurt?" Annabeth asked.

"Hurt? Um...let me see. Nico! Are you hurt! Annabeth wants to know!"

Annabeth winced but stopped herself from covering her ears. She needed to hear everything.

"He's fine," Lethia replied after a minute. "Said his head had been bleeding but now it's no-...hang on, he's talking again." Silence, a little gasp. "Oh...Annabeth, he said you should know this."

"Okay...know what?"

"He thinks he's losing his vision. For good."


	9. Chapter 9

Chiron looked around at the faces of his campers, felt pride at all they had achieved. Here, demigods who would do anything to not have to ever go to war again. Here, demigods ready to go to war because it meant saving their friends. Here, demigods who were voluntarily risking it all.

"We've gone over the plan, we've gone over teams." Chiron looked them all over. "You look ready. If there aren't any questions, we'll begin moving out. Mr. D has spoken to Zeus, and the lord of the sky has agreed to let us on a plane. That way we will get to Michigan faster."

Annabeth stood up, her knife strapped to her thigh and her hair in a ponytail. "All of you, remember my plan. All the steps need to be done perfectly so this works. We need to get them back."

"And make those bastards pay." Lou Ellen added. "Make them pay for killing Miranda."

"And for taking Jesse and Lethia." Will looked up from the table, which he was carving up with his nails. He didn't play with ace bandages like he used to. "And Nico."

"We'll make them pay," Annabeth promised. "Just stick to the plan."

* * *

Nico hated the spots in his vision, hated the constant light. He tried closing his eyes against it but he was too late. The light burned through his eyelids, spotted his darkened vision. He could only pray that Will could fix it.

If he ever got back to Will, that was.

"Lethia, update!" Nico called out, pacing by the door.

"All of us are still alive!" Lethia called back. "Haven't heard anything about Amy in a while! Chris' burns are getting better from what Will did to him!"

Nico nodded to himself. "Good...good... Any word from camp?!"

"They haven't said anything in hours!" Lethia called back. "I don't know what happened!"

"They might be carrying out a plan!" Nico called out. "That could be a good sign!"

"Or it could be a bad sign!" Lethia admitted. "When did you become an optimist?!"

"Since I got stuck in this fucking cage!" Nico replied. "I'm not dying locked up! I didn't survive a jar just for this!"

He sat against the door, began to tap his hands in boredom. Humming to himself, he tried not to act too insane. Boredom really did get to him, it seemed.

Nico was halfway through the humming of Bohemian Rhapsody when he heard the noises outside his door, heard Lethia yelp in surprise. He rose to his feet, slapped his face. "Come on, you stupid eyes. Get it together." He could see the outline of his door, could barely tell that it was the door and not the wall.

A mutter of voices, a commotion. He got into a fighting stance despite the fact that he wasn't very strong. No weapons, no darkness, no vision.

"Nico!" Will's voice broke him out of his thoughts, caused him to look up at the door in surprise. When he concentrated, he could feel his boyfriend's soul right outside it. "Nico! We'll get the door open! Are you okay?!"

"Will!" Nico ran to the door and put his hands against it. "Will! Get me out! Get me out of here! Get me out! Please!" He didn't want to lose his vision, didn't want to be alone anymore. He once feared the darkness, feared that he would melt into it for good. Now, he feared the light. He feared the loneliness that had consumed him. Feared dying alone.

"I'm trying!" Will sounded helpless, sounded so far away...so far away from the light... "I'm trying! I'm coming!"

"Will, don't let anyone else in here!" Nico pleaded. "They took my clothes! Bring me some clothes, please!"

"They took your clothes?" Will's desperation turned to confusion. "What did they do to you?" Suddenly, the anger came out full force. "WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU?!"

"Not that!" Nico blushed. "Not that I know of! So calm down!"

"Why did they take your clothes, then?" Will asked. "What could they possibly think that would do?"

"Something with shadows, I don't know." Nico leaned his head against the door. "They weren't taking any chances. Just...please get me out..." His voice was broken, so broken. "Please get me out...I...I just want to go home..."

Home. For the first time, Nico could say the word and mean it. He could picture home. And what was his home? Will. Will Solace, love, camp. Anywhere he could be with Will in peace, that was home.

"I just want to go home..." he sunk to his knees. "This light isn't normal in here. It's not normal. Please, I'm scared. I want to go home."

Will sat on the other side of that door, had his hands pressed against it and had his forehead leaning against it. He waited, waited for the others to come back. They could figure out how to open it...right?

"I'm going to take you home," Will promised. "We're going home. We're going home..."

"You'll get me clothes?" Nico asked.

"I'll get you clothes." Will wiped at his eyes. "And we'll make those bastards pay. We'll make them pay, Nico."

"Will..." Nico felt his tears dribble onto his hands. "I...I can barely see anymore...can you fix that?"

"Yeah, yeah." Will lied, having no idea if he could or not. "Just wait until we get home. I'll fix it. I'll fix everything."

_And I'll make these bastards pay_ , Will thought, _I'll make them pay for thinking they could break Nico di Angelo._


	10. Chapter 10

Leo knew exactly what to do when he had been called to open the door. Leaving the fighting behind, he raced to where the hostages were said to be. Sure enough, he found Will pressed up against a metal door with tears pouring from his raw eyes, a condition Will would never have been caught dead in. Until today.

Three others sat around Will, one girl and two boys. One boy was curled in on himself, the other was badly burned. The girl seemed alright but flinched when Leo walked in, no doubt never going to be the same.

"What needs blasting?" Leo moved to Will. "The door? That's the one di Angelo is behind?"

Will nodded, a faint nod that didn't tell much. "I...I need you to get him out...but I need clothes first...clothes to give him..."

"Clothes?" Leo looked around. "I don't think they have any shops here or-"

"Not a time for jokes." the girl cut in.

"Right, right." Leo held his hands up in surrender. "Any ideas? I've got my jacket I can take off."

"I'm giving him my hoodie." Will glared at Leo. "He gets _my_ hoodie. It's the warmest."

"Okay...wrap my jacket around his waist for now." Leo took the said jacket off and tossed it to Will. "Can you step aside so I can blow that door off its hinges?"

Will did as he was told, holding the jacket and hoodie close. He needed to get to Nico, needed to help him, needed to get him warm. His medic instincts would never disappear, even at his worst state.

"Di Angelo, back away from the door!" Leo called out. "It's getting blown away so stay clear!" He took what he needed from his toolbelt, went to work on getting those charges made and set up. Once he was done, he turned to the three that were watching him. "Cover your eyes unless you want to go blind."

He sparked the end of the charges and watched them go up in flames, watched them blow the door inward. As soon as Will heard the noise of it hitting the ground, he was through the doorway and looking around the room like a madman. Immediately, he could see what Nico meant by "the lights aren't normal". They weren't, not even by demigod standards. Will could feel the UV rays, feel the sun's powers leaking in.

That's why he should have expected the state Nico would be in, but it still shocked him to the core.

Hunched in the corner of the room, Nico was curled up. His hair had gotten longer, his skin had gotten darker. His fingernails had grown and were scratching at the floor, creating marks that Will soon saw all over the room. Naked, bloody, he looked like the definition of a caged animal.

"Nico, Nico, it's me." Will fell onto his knees in front of the son of Hades before wrapping him in the articles of clothing. "It's me, it's okay. It's going to be okay. You're going to shadow travel the rest of the hostages home and then I'm going to work on healing all of you. We'll leave the fighting to the others."

"Will..." Nico grabbed onto the front of Will's shirt. "Will...it's really you."

"It's really me." Will agreed. "It's going to be okay, now."

"Will..." Nico threw himself into Will's arms, held onto him tightly in the first hug he had truly meant since Bianca. He cried into Will, let all his fears out with the last of his dried up tears. Will kept him close the entire time, made sure he was covered enough.

"Come on, Neeks." Will rubbed his back. "Let's go home."

"Home..." Nico breathed in Will's scent. "We can go home..."

Will stood up, carrying Nico bridal style. Nico was lighter than he remembered, lighter than he had been after the whole Tartarus ordeal. Will promised himself to get Nico healthy again as he carried him out of the room, as he finally moved Nico into darkness, the darkness he was born to live in.

"Will...do you think I'm strong enough?" Nico refused to detach from Will. "To shadow travel all of you?"

"It's not like you're risking fading into the darkness." Will kneeled on the ground. "Jesse, Lethia, Chirs. Grab onto Nico. Don't touch me incase it truly is contagious."

"True..." Nico kept his eyes closed and his head leaning on Will's chest. "Tell me when...I'll take us home."

Will looked to Leo. "Where's Amy? Is she alive?"

Leo nodded. "I have to break her out, too."

"Go do that. Hurry." Will instructed. "Bring her here as quick as you can."

"Aye aye, captain." Leo saluted Will before jogging out of the room. Ten minutes went by, an explosion, Leo running back with a thin girl who looked worse than Nico. "Here you go! Delivery complete."

"Amy, grab onto one of us." Will instructed. "Hurry, Nico's taking us home."

Amy ran to Lethia and hugged her tightly, her dark hair falling into her face. Will made sure they were all connected to him before looking to Nico, his expression determined. "Take us home, Neeks."

Nico didn't waste any time. The shadows swallowed them up, they were gone before a second went by. Gone, away from the one place Nico had learned to fear. The one place that he'd rather be in Tartarus then in.


	11. Chapter 11

Percy held Riptide in front of him, breathing heavily as he took in the sight before him. In the dense hallway, about ten rouge demigods laid unconscious. He hadn't had the will to kill them, but made sure they couldn't stop him. He had a shapeshifter to find, a shapeshifter to stop before he ruined any other demigods.

The demigods from Camp Half-Blood had split up into teams at the request of Annabeth Chase. Since the building was so large, they went off in groups of two or three as they tried to take down as many enemies as they could. That was the second mission, though. The first was to get the hostages back to camp safely. Leo had gone to do that, leaving Percy without a partner.

"Okay...this hallway is clear." Percy looked around him, tried to hear any nearby battles. Everything was silent, as silent as the frozen lake deep in the winter months. He walked down the hallway, tried to find anything to do. Suddenly, he felt trapped within a tomb.

* * *

"Don't worry about it. Just eat it, Jesse." Will instructed. He moved to Nico's bedside, checked what he had soaking Nico's eyes. "How are you feeling, Neeks?"

"Better..." Nico kept his eyes closed, kept himself still because of all the IV's Will had put in him. "Is this stuff really going to help my eyes?"

"It's a mixture of Unicorn Draught, ambrosia, nectar, and some herbs." Will straightened Nico's pillow. "It should do the trick. But it's a pretty strong concoction."

"Sounds like it." Nico rested against the pillows. He could feel himself getting stronger, could feel himself relaxing. He was with Will, he was in the infirmary, he was home. He was going to be okay.

"Will, have you come up with an idea to get us our powers back?" Lethia asked. She sat on her own bed, between Amy and Jesse. Chris was on Jesse's other side, all of them healing perfectly. Lethia herself could get up and walk around freely, but Will still wouldn't let her leave the infirmary just yet.

"I don't know, Lethia." Will admitted. "I need the reason of why it happened, first, before I can try to make a cure. You know that. Let's just hope they all bring back some information."

"If they come back at all..." Lethia looked down. "If it had been an easy battle, they would have contacted us by now. Why haven't they?"

"I don't know, but it'll be okay." Will smiled at her. "Just relax and eat your food."

* * *

Annabeth glared at the man before her. Around twenty years old, he stood with his back leaning against the wall. Large muscles, tan skin, eyes that looked so familiar...

"Well, what are you waiting for? Are you going to try and kill me or not?" he laughed, his voice echoing through the room. "You're on the wrong side, child of Athena. Maybe you should rethink your decisions."

"How could kidnapping demigods and leaving them to die be the right side?" Annabeth clenched her dagger in her hand. "I don't see the morals in that."

"Some deaths were expected, for the experiment I was fulfilling. You should see the need and thirst for knowledge." he turned into a bear, lumbered across the room, turned into a bird to fly up to the rafters. Once he was safely perched, he changed back into a human. "You're no match for me, young demigod. Maybe you should come to my side before it's too late."

"What were you doing to them?" Annabeth hissed. "What experiment were you trying to complete?"

"I took that son of Apollo's powers." the man flexed his hand. "I took his powers. When he touched his sister, I got her powers. It's still a work in process but it seems a power like that can come real handy, don't you think?"

Annabeth stepped forward. "You monster."

"What? Do I scare you?" he hung off the rafter by his feet. "Is the daughter of Athena scared?"

"I've been to Tartarus and back." Annabeth spat. "You don't scare me. Nothing scares me anymore."

"Hm." he pursed his lips. "What a disappointment. I thought I was going to have more fun with you. No matter." He jumped to the floor, landed perfectly. "A fight will be fun enough. Let's see what you can do, Annabeth Chase."


	12. Chapter 12

Percy stopped at the doorway, listening to the sounds of battle inside. The door was closed but he could easily open it, but wanted to know what he was getting into first. From the sounds of it, only two people seemed to be fighting. But then there were the sounds of a bear, of a bird, of paws hitting the metal floor.

The shapeshifter.

"Jackson." Clarisse was suddenly behind him. "What's in there?"

"I think someone's fighting the shapeshifter." Percy clung to Riptide. "Are you coming in with me?"

Clarisse kicked the door open as her answer. "Don't get in my way."

* * *

Will looked over his patients, smiling at the work he had done. He had healed Amy, he had gotten Chris mostly healed. Jesse and Lethia were stable, Nico was stable. The only thing he was worried about was Nico's sight. It was time to check it, time to see if his boyfriend would be blind or not.

"You ready?" Will moved to Nico and began to wipe the liquid off of his closed eyes. "This is it."

Nico clung to Will's shirt, letting him clean him off. "I...I'm ready. It's going to be okay."

"Exactly. It's going to be okay." Will finished wiping the "medicine" off. "Okay. Open."

Nico hesitated briefly before opening his dark eyes. They had grown lighter, didn't look so black anymore. He stared at Will, however, stared into those blue eyes. "Why do you look so worried?"

"Nico!" Will couldn't stop himself from yelping in happiness. "You can see!"

Nico gave him a tired smile. "You act like you just found the holy grail."

Will pecked Nico's lips before jumping up. "You all see that? Nico di Angelo isn't blind! I worked my magic!"

Lethia clapped sarcastically. "Brilliant."

"Oh, shut up." he did a small victory dance before sitting in the chair by Nico's bed. "You feeling okay?"

Nico nodded. "How are the others? You really haven't heard anything?"

Will shook his head. "Not a word."

"Maybe I should go help..." Nico looked at his IV's. "They might need it."

"You're not strong enough." Will crossed his arms. "You're staying here. Doctor's orders."

* * *

Annabeth slammed against the wall with a grimace of pain, her dagger falling to the floor. In the time it took her to regain her breath, she saw that Percy and Clarisse had already engaged the shapeshifter. Three people...maybe they could do this...

"Plan 110!" Annabeth called out, picking her dagger back up. "Percy, Clarisse! 110! I'm one, Percy two, Clarisse three!"

Clarisse nodded her approval, circling the man with her teeth bared. "I love being person three."

Percy, however, had time to pout. "I don't want to be two-" He ducked at the last minute, the sword slicing above him where his neck had been. He moved to kick the man's stomach, but he was suddenly a bird and in the rafters again.

"He can take people's abilities!" Annabeth called out. "Don't let him touch you! That means he has the abilities of a son of Apollo and a son of Hephaestus. Watch out."

"This guy won't keep still," Clarisse growled. "How is Plan 110 going to work on him?"

"It will," Annabeth promised. "Just stick to it."

Percy closed his eyes before smiling. "Annabeth...I think you're right. Plan 110 will work."

Clarisse threw a knife at the bird, the blade slashing across its stomach. It fell to the floor, turning back into a human at the last second. "There, Jackson! The blade was poisoned!"

Percy closed his eyes and raised his hands. He could sense the water nearby, sense it running through the pipes of the building. In seconds, his ears popped and a roar of water was at his disposal.

The water fell onto the man who was busy trying to heal himself. Coughing, spluttering, he tried to transform into something that could breathe underwater. Nothing worked in the state he was in.

"Got him." Annabeth jogged to the man and put the tip of her dagger at his throat. "Tell me your name, who you are, and how you took those demigods' powers. Now."

He glared up at Annabeth, brown eyes full of loathing. "You insolent daughter of Athena. You have no idea how it feels, forever in the shadows, hiding your very existence. You have no idea how-"

She pressed the knife closer to him. "Tell me who you are."

He smirked. "I think you know my distant cousin. Frank Zhang? Does that ring a bell?"

Annabeth glared at him. "So that's how you shapeshift. It's in your genes."

He shrugged. "Guess so."

"Should we kill him?" Clarisse asked. "I will."

"There's no other way to stop him." Annabeth slit the man's neck. "Sorry, distant cousin of Frank Zhang."


	13. Chapter 13

The plane ride back to New York was silent. They hadn't lost anybody in the battle but all of the demigods still acted as if they had seen another war. They hated battle, hated slaying other demigods. They wanted it to get peaceful again, but it seemed like they'd never see that peace.

Once they were safely back in camp, Annabeth and Percy went to the infirmary together. As soon as they stepped through the doors, Will hurtled towards them like a cannonball. "Annabeth, Percy, how'd it go?! Are you hurt?!"

"We're fine." Annabeth gave him a small smile. "We were actually just checking up on the others."

"Oh." Will backed off. "Nico can see. Chris' burns are almost gone. Lethia and Jesse are healthy. Amy is cured."

Percy moved to Nico. "Hey...you okay? I'm sorry we didn't find you sooner."

"I'm fine, Percy." Nico pointed to his eyes. "I can still see so I'm good."

Percy frowned. "Your eyes look different, you know."

"How so?" Nico asked.

"Lighter." Percy shrugged. "They just don't look black anymore."

"But it's okay." Will cut in. "They work fine."

Annabeth looked over from having been talking to Lethia. "Percy, are you scaring him?"

Percy held his hands up in surrender. "What? I'm not doing anything, I swear."

Nico cast them a warm smile. "I'm okay, I promise. Will already told me that they look different."

Percy gave Annabeth a look before looking back to Nico. "So...want to know how the battle went?"

Nico nodded. "Tell me everything."

* * *

Nico sat with his feet in the water, his pants rolled up. After the man had died, his effects over Lethia and the others had vanished. The Apollo kids were back to healing, Chris was helping build the new forge. Everything seemed to be going fine.

"Hey, can I join you?" Percy asked, coming up behind him on the wooden dock.

Nico nodded. "I don't see why not."

Percy sat next to him, dipping his own feet into the water. "I didn't know you liked the water."

"It's peaceful." Nic looked over at him. "What do you want?"

Percy shrugged. "I guess I came here for the same reason as you. The peace."

Nico watched him closely. "What are you planning, Jackson?"

Percy blushed. "Fine, you caught me. I...I wanted to propose to Annabeth. I was waiting until things quieted down but I guess that won't happen."

"We're demigods." Nico agreed. He thought of Will, thought of those blue eyes. "Marriage seems nice. You should go for it."

Percy grinned. "Yeah, it does. Do you think she'll say yes?"

"Yeah, I do." Nico stood up and stretched. "And things may be peaceful from here on out. Who knows."

Percy got up also. "Yeah, you might be right. Just don't jinx us."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I won't."


End file.
